Senate defeats calling new witnesses in impeachment trial

The Senate voted Friday to reject subpoenas for witnesses or documents in the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump, clearing the way for a swift acquittal in the coming days.

The motion to consider new witnesses and evidence failed 49 to 51, with only two Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah –joining every member of the Democratic caucus in favor.

The Democrats needed at least four Republicans to join them to call witnesses.

On Friday afternoon, Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, who had indicated she was on the fence regarding new witnesses, said she would oppose the motion because she didn't "believe the continuation of this process will change anything".

On Thursday, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said he believed the president acted improperly when he pressed Ukraine to launch investigations that could benefit him politically but that it wasn't an impeachable offense.

Democrats sought testimony from four officials, including former national security adviser John Bolton and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who each declined invitations to testify during the House inquiry.

In final arguments on Friday, Democrats warned that moving forward with the trial without considering additional evidence could set a dangerous precedent for future attempts at Congressional investigations into the executive branch.

Trump's defense team argued Friday that the Senate doesn't need to call more witnesses because the case from House Democrats is defective, but that calling witnesses could permanently damage relations between Congress and the presidency.